Interpretation of infrared spectra for OM characterization of soil structural surfaces of Bt‐horizons

The surfaces of macropores or aggregates can act as hot spots for biogeochemical processes and solute transport during preferential flow. For the characterization of organic matter (OM) at macropore surfaces non‐destructive methods have been applied such as diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFT). However, effects of organic components on DRIFT signal intensities are often difficult to distinguish from those of mineral components. Here, DRIFT spectra from intact earthworm burrow walls and coated cracks were re‐evaluated to improve the interpretation of C–H and C=O bands. We compared DRIFT and transmission Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of entire samples that were from the same pedogenetic soil horizon (Bt) but different in mineral composition and texture (i.e., glacial till vs. loess). Spectra of incinerated samples were subtracted from the original spectra. Transmission FTIR and DRIFT spectra were almost identical for entire soil samples. However, the DRIFT spectra were affected by the bulk mode bands (i.e., wavenumbers 2000 to 1700 cm^?1). These bands affected spectral resolution and reproducibility. The ratios between C–H and C=O band intensities as indicator for OM quality obtained with DRIFT were smaller than those obtained from transmission FTIR. The results demonstrated that DRIFT and transmission FTIR data required separate interpretations. DRIFT spectroscopy as a non‐destructive method for analyzing OM composition at intact surfaces in structured soils could be calibrated with information obtained with the more detailed transmission FTIR and complementary methods. Spectral subtraction procedure was found useful to reduce effects of mineral absorption bands. The improved DRIFT data may be related to other soil properties (e.g., cation exchange capacity) of hot spots in structured soils.